2000
#50,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Shegog
A humorous or derogatory surname derived from a misspelling of "shog dog", slang for an inferior dog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 542 Americans carry the last name Shegog. That puts it at #48,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 632,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shegog surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
542
1 in 632,388
Census rank
#48,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
473
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 473 bearers of the surname Shegog in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shegog, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shegog
The surname SHEGOG is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "scecga" and "hog," meaning "shaggy hog" or "bristly hog." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a bushy or unkempt appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHEGOG can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1273 during the reign of King Edward I. This document mentions a landowner named William Shegog in the county of Berkshire.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Shegock, Shegogge, and Shegge, in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.
A notable figure bearing the SHEGOG surname was Sir Richard Shegog, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in the historical records of the city of Bristol, where he served as a city alderman and mayor in the years 1478 and 1485.
Another individual of note was John Shegog, born in 1562 in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was a contemporary and acquaintance of the famous playwright William Shakespeare, and his name appears in several legal documents from that era, including property records and court proceedings.
In the 17th century, the name SHEGOG can be found in various parish records and church registers across England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Worcestershire. One such record mentions the baptism of a child named Elizabeth Shegog in the parish of Longborough, Gloucestershire, in the year 1647.
During the 18th century, the SHEGOG surname appears to have spread to other parts of the British Isles, with records showing individuals bearing the name in Scotland and Ireland. One notable example is Robert Shegog, born in 1712 in Inverness, Scotland, who was a prominent merchant and ship owner.
As the centuries progressed, the SHEGOG surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some individuals achieving notable positions in society. For instance, in the late 19th century, a man named William Shegog served as the mayor of the town of Wantage, Berkshire, from 1884 to 1886.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shegog
Among Census respondents with the surname Shegog, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shegog bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Shegog surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American79.5% · 376
- White10.4% · 49
- Two or more races8.0% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shegog
Shegog appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#46,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 457
+66 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 3,693 places
2020
#48,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 473
+16 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 1,668 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,261 | 391 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,568 | 457 | 0.15 | +66 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 3,693 places |
| 2020 | #48,236 | 473 | 0.16 | +16 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 1,668 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Shegog surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #46,568 | #48,236 | -3.6% |
| Count | 457 | 473 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.16 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shegog bearers went from 457 to 473 (+3.5% change). The surname moved down 1,668 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,568 to #48,236.
FAQ
Shegog surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shegog?
Name Census estimates that about 542 living Americans carry the surname Shegog. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 632,388 residents.
How common is Shegog?
Shegog ranks #48,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 473 people with the surname Shegog. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shegog.
Has Shegog become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shegog went from 457 recorded bearers to 473. That is an increase of 16 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,568 to #48,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Shegog?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shegog, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shegog in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shegog appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (79.5%), White (10.4%), Two or More Races (8.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Shegog (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Shegog mean?
A humorous or derogatory surname derived from a misspelling of "shog dog", slang for an inferior dog. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Shegog (0.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Shegog?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Shegog is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.